


Cupid Painted Blind

by Bakubitch



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Art Nerd Ben, F/M, Football, High School, Jock Rey, Lacrosse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 21:36:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bakubitch/pseuds/Bakubitch
Summary: Ben Solo never expected to fall in love with his English partners adopted sister, but then, when did his life ever go to plan?A story of high school romance, interfering mothers and a missing cat.





	Cupid Painted Blind

**Author's Note:**

> So my lovelies, here is my second fanfic! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :).

At first Ben thinks he’s hearing wrong. There’s no way his mom, his _mom_ of all people, has partnered him with this asshole.

Poe Dameron turns around in his chair to face him, disgust and irritation written visibly on his face.

Ben slides down in his seat, wishing (not for the first time) that he could just disappear through the floor and fall straight into hell where he belongs. Dameron grabs his backpack angrily, hefting it up over his varsity jacket-clad shoulder, and walks slowly towards Ben’s table.

The jock stops in front of him. “I can’t believe I have to work with you,” he says heatedly. “For two months.”

“Do you think I want to be working with you, asshole?” Ben snaps back.

Poe laughs humorlessly, looking over towards his friends on the other side of the room. It’s obvious that he desperately wishes he was over there, too. “Let’s just get this over with,” he sighs miserably, plopping down into the seat beside him.

Ben flinches.

Fuck his life, seriously.

 

***

 

Ben isn’t what you would call _popular_ . In fact, he’s probably the complete opposite. Having your mom as the high school’s English teacher doesn’t really make you people’s number one choice for a best bud. However, even if people _had_ once liked him, he had squashed all notions of friendship when he got into a fight with one of the football players in his sophomore year.

So what if he broke the guys arm?

It had healed!

Plutt was a total fuckface; Ben didn’t understand why everyone had taken his side. He deserved it. After that, and two weeks suspension, Ben became public enemy number one. No one came anywhere near him, no one liked him, no one looked at him, and to be honest, Ben preferred it that way.

But now.

Now.

His mom is clearly pushing him to make friends. It isn’t like he doesn’t have _any_ friends; he frequently sits with Hux and Phasma for lunch, but they aren’t what you’d call _‘real’_ friends — he doesn’t hang out with them outside of school. Ben knows that’s why his mom has partnered him and Dameron up for the English project. He knows her intentions are good, but she’s probably just fucked up his English grade completely. God knows Dameron isn’t going to pull his weight. To be honest, Ben has always been a little jealous of his mom and Poe’s relationship. Ben has never seen her take a shine to anyone else like she does with the football player, and it makes Ben’s stomach turn. To make matters even worse, he’s now probably going to have to do _all_ of the English project.

Ben groans.

Worst. Year. Ever.

 

***

 

The next day in English before class starts, Poe stops in front of Ben’s desk.

“Tomorrow. My house. Seven o’clock,” he says, thrusting a ripped piece of paper in front of Ben’s face. It has an address on it, and he stares up at Poe with disbelief. “I know you don’t have plans. I’ve already asked Mrs. Organa, so don’t even try and get out of it.”

Ben sighs dejectedly.  _Thank you, mom, for landing me in it again._ “Great,” he mutters, gritting his teeth.

Poe nods his head slowly, and then wanders over to his seat, sitting down just in time for class to begin.

Ben gets through the hour lesson by doodling pictures on the side of his notepad, drawing the curves of a monstrous creature that he’s made up in his head. When the bell rings for lunch, he jumps up quickly, stuffing his books into his bag, and then hightails it out of there. He can hear his mom shouting his name, but he ignores her, not in the mood to sit with her during his lunch hour. There’s only so much of being around people he can take.

When he leaves the classroom and rounds the corner, he bumps straight into a tiny person. As their bodies collide, the girl drops all her books, cursing loudly, and bends down quickly to pick them up. Papers are scattered everywhere, and for a second, he thinks about leaving the girl to fix it herself. He has a change of heart, however, when he watches her struggle to balance her heavy books and backpack. He sighs exasperatedly, crouching down to help her pick everything up.

“Thanks a lot, _asshole_.”

Wait, what?

Here he is, helping her with her shit, and she’s calling him an asshole? Not cute. “Maybe watch where you’re going then.”

Her head snaps up to face him, fury expressed plainly on her face, and Ben’s breath catches in his throat. _Great._ She's beautiful. Hair scraped up into a messy bun, strands of loose hair falling into her face, with big brown eyes and full lips.

“You bumped into _me_ ,” the girl says nastily. “You need to watch where _you’re_ going.”

Ben’s lips twitch upwards, slightly bemused. No one has ever really engaged with him before, never mind deliberately picked a fight with him. Everyone knows that his temper is legendary—no one would ever try it. And yet, along comes this small girl, spitting fire at him.

They’re still crouched down on the floor, staring at each other intently, and Ben forgets how to look away. It’s not until someone clears their throat from behind them that the pair snap back to reality, springing apart. The girl gathers the rest of her papers into her arms, and Ben hands her the ones he collected.

When he turns around, Poe is there, and he’s looking between them questioningly. “Thanks for waiting on me, Rey,” he says. “Is this asshole giving you bother?”

Rey laughs loudly, eyes crinkling at the corners. Ben’s never been more enamored with a person in his life. “Nah, nothing I can’t handle.” She punches Poe on the arm, and he clutches at it with mock outrage.

Ben distinctly feels like he’s intruding on a private moment.

After a second of feeling uncomfortable, Poe diverts his attention back to Ben. “My house tomorrow, Solo,” he says. “Don’t forget.”

Ben nods mutely and walks away.

Just his luck.

A girl he’s finally attracted to is friends with the jock crowd.

 

***

 

_I can’t do this._

He’s standing outside Poe’s house—or what he hopes is Poe’s house—debating whether he should ring the bell and get this over with, or if he should just leave and say he got run over by a bus, or something else along those lines. Before he gets the chance to make up his mind, the door swings open, revealing the girl, Rey, from the other day.

He’s shocked, to say the least. And a little angry. If Poe had invited his jock friends around when they were supposed to be working on their English project, Ben was going to be _pissed._

Rey doesn’t look surprised, however, and she’s got her arms crossed over her chest. “I’ve been watching you pace back and forth out here for the last fifteen minutes,” she says. Ben feels the tip of his ears turning red. Luckily, his long hair covers them and hides his embarrassment. “Maz and I had a bet going on how long it would take you to ring the bell,” she continues. “I got bored waiting so I thought I’d put you out of your misery.”

Ben stares at her, baffled. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” Rey says chirpily. She opens the door wide, and gestures for him to come inside.

He steps in with caution, looking around the small house. It’s nice. Cosy. Pictures of Poe and Rey and other people Ben has never seen are scattered all over the hallway, and there’s antique ornaments everywhere. It’s _unique_.

“Where’s Poe?” Ben asks, following Rey through the corridor. There’s a bright orange tabby cat perched along the back of the couch. It’s just _staring_ at him. _Jesus Christ, that’s disconcerting._

“He’s running a bit late,” she says.

“Why are you here?”

Rey laughs, turning around to face him. They’ve made their way to the kitchen, and she leans against the counter in the middle of the room. When she sees Ben’s facial expression, her smile drops immediately. “Are you serious?”

“As a stroke.”

She looks at him strangely. “I live here?” she says, although it sounds like a question. “I’m Poe’s sister.”

“Sister.”

“Well, adopted sister,” she explains, frown marring her face. Her very attractive face. “How could you not know this? I thought the whole school knew this.”

“I don’t really pay attention to school trivialities.”

She laughs again, but its lighter this time. “You’re a strange one,” she says, not unkindly. Ben doesn’t even feel offended.

Instead of paying attention to the house around him, he now gives Rey his full focus, and he realizes that she’s wearing the school’s lacrosse uniform. _Great_ , he thinks. _She’s not only friends with the jocks, she_ is _a jock._

He grimaces. “This explains the British accent.”

Rey opens her mouth to respond, but is interrupted by Poe walking through the door, bright smile on his face. “Great, you’re here already.”

Ben coughs awkwardly. “Yeah.”

Poe ruffles Rey’s hair as he brushes past her, and she squawks indignantly. Ben doesn’t like that sound. He doesn’t. “Let’s go upstairs and get started,” Poe says, directing his attention towards Ben.

They’re halfway out the kitchen door when Rey calls Poe back, halting them in the process. “Before you go,” she starts slyly, “do you want to tell me where you were?”

The jock rubs the back of his neck, clearly feeling flustered. “Nowhere.”

“You weren’t with Finn, then?”

A warm blush spreads across Poe’s cheeks, and he looks away from her. “No.”

Rey smirks knowingly and gives Ben a wink. Poe’s not the only one who’s blushing now. The three of them stand there in silence, and Ben is aware that he’s outright gawking at Rey.

“Well, this has been sufficiently awkward,” Poe says, clapping his hands together. He turns to face Ben. “Now, for the love of god, can we go upstairs?”

Ben clears his throat. “Please.”

He can hear Rey snickering as they leave the room. _That girl will be the death of me._

They make their way up the stairs.

Now, if Ben thought the house was cluttered, Poe’s bedroom is ten times worse _._ Littered with sport trophies and medals, it’s a blinding shade of blue, and there are books and papers scattered all over the ground. Ben steps on an empty pizza box. He doesn’t know how Poe can live like this.

Poe kicks a t-shirt to the side with his foot, like it’s going to make a difference. Ben can’t even see the _floor_. “Um, sorry about the mess.”

Unsure if he’s allowed to sit down on the bed, or if there’s even enough room to sit down on the bed, Ben hovers by the window. “So, _A Midsummer Night's Dream_.”

Poe gets his books out of his bag, and pats the spot on the bed beside him, gesturing for Ben to sit down. “I gotta tell you, dude, I really don’t know shit about Shakespeare.”

“Well, color me surprised,” Ben says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, don’t be an asshole,” Poe snaps, ripping a page out of his notepad and scrunching it up into a ball, throwing it at the trashcan on the opposite side of the room. It doesn’t go in. He shrugs his shoulders and doesn’t make a move to pick it up. Ben shudders at the added mess.

“I _am_ an asshole,” Ben retorts back eventually, angrily opening his own book and flipping to the right page.

“Oh, _I know.”_

The pair sit in a stony silence, and Ben feels extremely uncomfortable. _This is not fun._ This is why he hates group projects. He just doesn’t work well with others, and his mom knows this for fuck sake. She just had to pair him with Dameron, the jock son she always wanted but could never have. What a joke.

“We really should at least try to get the project done,” Ben says, pulling up his big boy pants and breaking the tension. They have to create a joint poster with a presentation, and present it to the class at the end of the semester. It wasn’t going to happen if they were at each other’s throats the whole time.

“If _you_ play nice we can get it done, Solo,” Poe proposes, looking at Ben with a raised eyebrow.

Ben considers it for a moment, and then sighs loudly. “Fine.”

 

***

 

They’ve been working for roughly two hours when an older woman pops her head around Poe’s door, grinning brightly at them. She has to be one of the quirkiest women Ben has ever seen, with enormous round glasses taking up her whole face and a mosaic floor-length skirt. He thinks it vaguely resembles a curtain.

“Hello,” the woman says. “You must be Ben.”

He nods his head in confirmation.

“I’m Poe’s mom, but you can call me Maz,” she says, smiling brightly. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

Ben panics. Dinner with these crackpots? No thank you. “My mom is expecting me home,” he says quickly, fidgeting with his pencil.

“You can use our phone to call your mom and tell her you’re eating here.”

Ben’s eyes widen. “It’s really okay,” he says lamely. “I can eat at home.”

Poe, either sensing his discomfort or just genuinely wanting him to leave, nods his head in agreement. “Yeah mom, I think he’s fine.”

“Nonsense!” Maz exclaims. “Child, you’re staying for dinner. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”

She breezes out the room, not giving him a chance to make up a believable excuse. He turns to Poe, grimacing. He really didn’t want to spend any more time with him than strictly necessary. “I guess I’m staying for dinner.”

Poe sighs exasperatedly, shutting his copy of _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ with a loud _thud_. “We’re having lasagna.”

 

***

 

After Ben calls his mom—who is delighted, by the way—to tell her about the change of plans, the pair make their way into the kitchen, where Rey is sitting at the dining table. She has books scattered around her, and she’s got a bright yellow highlighter wedged between her teeth. Her hair is scraped back into that cute little bun again, and as much as Ben tries to focus on Poe talking about how _great_ the football team is, his eyes are constantly drawn to his adopted-sister.

“So,” Rey says, not even looking up from her textbook. “Maz roped you into dinner, then?”

Ben nods his head mutely, and then when he realizes she’s not paying him any attention, he clears his throat. “Yeah.”

Maz turns around from her spot at the oven, large pink oven gloves over her hands. “I did no such thing, child.”

“Oh no,” Poe says sarcastically. “You didn’t barge into my room and tell Ben he was staying for dinner, even after he said he couldn’t.”

Maz sniffs petulantly. “I wanted him to try my lasagna.”

“I’m, um, sure it’ll be lovely,” Ben responds awkwardly.

Not long after, Rey sets the table, and Ben is handed a generous plate of the famous lasagna. The portion size is probably bigger than his head. _They are a family of jocks, after all_ , his mind supplies.

After Poe and Rey dig in, scoffing their dinner down faster than Ben has ever seen before, he takes a delicate bite. The pair pause, forks halfway to their mouths, and turn their attention to him, trying to gauge his reaction. He chews for a second, and then gulps the mouthful down. “It’s good,” he finally says, appreciatively.

Maz beams at him, and then the family happily go back to their meal.

Ben has to admit, even though he’s completely out of his comfort zone, he doesn’t _hate_ the conversation and company. 

“So, Ben, what do you want to do when you leave school?” Maz asks during the meal.

Ben deliberates for a second, before setting his fork down on his plate. “I’m thinking about art school.”

“Ah, a budding artist! That’s wonderful, child,” Maz says delightedly, clapping her hands together.

Ben feels his eyes widen in surprise—no one has ever had that reaction before. “My mom and dad don’t think it’s a practical choice.”

Maz nods her head sympathetically, looking wiser than her years. “Sometimes parents do not understand what lies in our hearts.”

He decides right there and then that Maz is a uniquely rare woman.

The conversation flows naturally, and dinner is finished quickly. When it’s time for Ben to go home, Poe is ordered to help wash up since Rey set the table. He hovers awkwardly, not knowing whether he should let himself out, but Rey skids over to him, socks sliding across the wooden floor. “Come on, Solo, I’ll walk you out.”

After Ben thanks Maz once again for dinner, they make their way to the front door. He steps outside, but for some reason is reluctant to leave. Rey leans against the door frame, watching him with a small smile.

There’s a silence. “So, lacrosse?” he asks finally after a moment of hesitation, hands wedged in his pockets.

“Ben Solo, engaging in small talk? I never thought I’d see the day,” she mocks. “I didn’t think you artist types were into idle chitchat.”

“We’re not.”

“I thought so.”

He smirks at her. “You’re not a fan of the artist types, then,” he says. It’s supposed to be a question, but it sounds flat even to his ears.

“I didn’t say that,” Rey replies, mirroring his expression. There’s a cold breeze, and she crosses her arms over her chest, shivering slightly. “In fact, it’s probably the complete opposite.” She bites her lip. “I’d have to say nerdy, broody artists like yourself are _exactly_ my type.”

She slams the door shut on Ben’s shocked face.

 

***

 

The next day at lunch, he decides to avoid Hux and Phasma completely, ducking out of the back doors and heading over towards his favorite spot under a large oak tree that sits on the outskirts of the high school. The jocks are sunbathing on the bleachers, laughing with each other as they enjoy the unclouded day. It’s a miracle that Ben and the other group can coexist out here, but for some reason, it’s never been a problem. This is Ben’s favorite spot. He would hate for it to be taken off him because of some dumb assholes.

For the first time, he notices that Rey is amongst the crowd of students on the bleachers. He wonders why he’s never noticed her before. Flipping open a fresh page in his notepad, he begins sketching the column of her throat, capturing the way she throws her head back in laughter. If only he could get a closer look—he wants to count every freckle, every eyelash, every strand of hair and recreate it on paper.

Since when did he have these kinds of feelings for people? Not that he was admitting having feelings for Rey. No—it’s just that she’s the most interesting person he has ever laid eyes on.

Half an hour before English is due to start, he ventures into the classroom to meet with his mother. She’s sitting behind the desk, hair scraped up into a bun, and she’s got piles upon piles of grading to do, red pen scratching furiously on paper. He knocks delicately against the door frame, not particularly wanting to enter anyway, never mind when she’s caught up in marking. Her head snaps up in his direction, and when she spots him, a warm smile blooms on her face.

“Ben!” she exclaims. “I’ve been waiting on you.”

He grabs a chair and sits himself down in front of her desk. Truthfully, as much as he loves his mother, these Thursday lunch meetings are the bane of his life. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” she insists. “How is the project coming along with Poe?”

Ben holds back the urge to roll his eyes. Always Poe. “It’s coming,” he nods. “We’ve only met once.”

His mom frowns. “You need to find the time to meet up, Ben.”

“I know.”

“This is a big chunk of your overall grade.”

“I _know.”_

“Perhaps you should arrange something for the weekend?” she questions. “I know he has football practice during the week.”

“Yeah maybe,” Ben says. He shuffles in his seat. “When do the lacrosse players practice?” he asks slowly, trying to feign disinterest.

“Tuesdays and Thursdays. Why?”

“No reason,” he replies. “Can you give me a lift home tonight? I don’t want to get the bus.”

“Of course! I won’t be leaving until five though, isn’t that a bit late?”

Ben finds himself shaking his head. “Nope.”

 

***

 

He’s walking down the steps of the school later on that night, his mom in tow, trying to get a glimpse of the lacrosse field. In particular, one girl on the lacrosse field. However, it’s disappointingly empty. _Dammit, I knew we should have left sooner, but no, mom had to stand and talk to Mr. Threepio for twenty minutes._

He sighs dejectedly. They’ve reached the car now, and his mom is contently chattering about tonight’s dinner, fishing her car keys out of her purse, when voices come shrieking from behind them. Ben snaps his head around to face the commotion, miffed to see the football team pouring out from the front doors, shouting and hollering like jocks typically do. He rolls his eyes.

He can see his mom smiling widely at the group, and he groans, exasperated. “Mom, can we please go?”

“Hold on honey, Poe is over there,” she says, waving towards the large group. “Poe!” she shouts, beckoning him over.

Said jock dispatches himself from the crowd, and jogs towards them. “Hey Mrs. O!” Poe grins when he reaches them. “How’s it hanging?”

His mom laughs, a special laugh usually reserved for meathead football players like Poe.

Ben stands sullenly while his mom and Poe engage in animated conversation, feeling like a third wheel. All he wants is to get in the fucking car and go home. He leans his head against the car door, squeezing his eyes shut. Fuck his life, seriously.

“Hey stranger,” a voice says from behind him. He spins around quickly, coming face to face with Rey. She’s sweaty, hair stuck to her face and cheeks flushed red, lacrosse uniform clinging to her body. Ben’s never seen a more appealing sight in his life.

He stammers unintelligibly, forgetting how to reply. “Um, hey,” he says after he’s composed himself.

“What are you doing here so late?”

“Trying to leave.”

Rey turns her attention towards his mom and Poe, who are still chatting amicably, and the conversation doesn’t sound like it’s going to stop anytime soon. “Yikes.”

“Did you have a good practice?”

“The best,” she smiles sweetly. “You should come and see us play sometime.” 

His heart hammers in his chest. Did she want him to watch her play? That was a pretty big request, wasn’t it? Or was it? Realizing he hasn’t answered her, he quickly pushes himself off the car. “You guys are the first co-ed lacrosse team in the state, aren’t you?” Ben asks. “I remember seeing it in the paper.”

“We sure are,” she says, kicking the gravel on the ground with her sneaker. “There’s a game at the end of the month.”

Rey gives him a hopeful look. He panics. “I’ll think about it,” he blurts quickly.

“That’s all I ask,” she grins. “You need to develop some school spirit.”

Before he has a chance to reply, his mom and Poe join their conversation, clearly finished with theirs. Poe turns to face him, wiping a bead of sweat off his brow. “Your mom was telling me you’re free over the weekend to go over our project,” he says, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “I can change some plans around.”

Great. His mom was broadcasting that he had no friends and never had any plans. Just great. “That’s fine,” he says, brows turned down into a frown.

“Fabulous!” Poe says brightly. Maybe Ben was imagining things, but he thought the jock was starting to warm up to him. “See you then.” Poe and Rey turn around, walking towards Poe’s car on the other side of the parking lot, but not before Rey glances back over her shoulder, grinning widely at him.

His face flushes, and he doesn’t miss the knowing smirk his mom sends him.

When they get into the car and start their drive home, his mom lasts all of five minutes before she brings up the topic of Rey. “So, I see you’re making new friends,” she teases.

“ _Mom.”_

“What? I’m just proud that you’re branching out!”

“There’s nothing going on between Rey and I.”

“She’s a very pretty girl.”

Ben sighs. “Yes, she’s very pretty,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Can we change the subject now?”

“Of course.”

By the time they get through the front door, his dad is already in the kitchen, cooking dinner for the night. Which is unusual. He’s never home before them. When his mom enters, she wraps her arms around him, bringing him into a tight embrace. “Darling, Ben has met a girl.”

His dad freezes, face twisted to express his shock. Ben tries to hide behind the door frame, but Han snaps his eyes towards him. “Don’t go disappearing, kid. I want to hear all about it,” he says to him. He then turns his attention to Ben’s mom, face serious. “He gets his charm from me.”

_God, I’m never going to hear the end of this._

 

***

 

“I’m so sorry,” Rey blurts when she opens the door on Sunday morning. Ben had borrowed his mom’s car to drive over to Poe’s house for their project meeting. “Our cat has gone missing. Poe would have called but he didn’t have your number.”

“Oh,” he says, head nodding in understanding. “We can rearrange?”

She sighs and nods her head, relieved. She’s clutching a handful of flyers in her hands, an enlarged picture of the orange tabby cat printed clearly on the front. “That would be great,” she says. “Poe and Finn are already looking for him at the park, but Maz is at work so I’m just heading out now.”

Ben hesitates, pushing his hair back from his face. “Uh, do you want me to help you look for him?” 

Rey’s eyes go wide. “You would do that?”

“Of course.”

She looks at him, surprise written visibly on her face. “Thank you.”

 

***

 

Half an hour later, they’re visiting all of BB-8’s ‘favorite places’. To be honest, this was probably the most batshit crazy thing Ben’s ever done. They’re pinning up flyers on every tree and shop window they can find, using Ben’s mom’s car to drive about the small town. It was just a cat; how far could it go?

“BB-8 loves to wander,” Rey tells him when they get back in the car. They’ve just left a handful of flyers at the local coffee shop and the barista, a girl called Rose who goes to their school, promises to phone them if she spots him. “He usually follows Poe around everywhere.”

“So, we just need to go to all the places Poe has been?”

“We should probably try Finn’s first then,” Rey mutters.

Ben clears his throat, trying to focus on the road. “Are Finn and Poe an item?”

“Not officially,” Rey says, rolling her eyes. “But they’ve been in love with each other for years.”

“Why don’t they just admit it?”

Rey shrugs. “I don’t know,” she says. “Poe’s been out of the closet for a couple of months. Maybe they’re just working up to it.”

“And he doesn’t get any shit for it?”

Laughing, Rey turns her body around to face him. “Are you serious?” she asks. “Poe is the most popular guy in school, and cCaptain of the football team; do you think anyone would give him shit for it?”

“I don’t know,” Ben grumbles. “Maybe. People are dicks.”

“True, but I think Poe would beat the crap out of anyone who said anything.”

Ben nods his head in agreement. He shuffles in his seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “What about you?”

“What _about_ me?”

“Are you seeing anyone?” Ben glances at her out the corner of his eye, and can see her grinning widely. 

“I’m as free as a bird,” she says, resting her arm against the car window. “Why?”

“No reason.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want—”

Rey’s phone rings, thankfully cutting off any further discussion. Ben doesn’t think he could have handled the conversation they were about to have. She pulls her phone out and accepts the call, chatting enthusiastically to the person on the other side. When she thanks the caller and hangs up, she turns her attention to him.

“That was Rose,” Rey explains. “Apparently a man in the coffee shop said there’s an orange tabby cat in a tree outside his house. He lives just around the corner from Finn.” Seeing his confused look, Rey sighs exasperated. “Rose and Finn are like best friends,” she says. “Do you really not know anything about the people you go to school with?”

“Um, no?”

Her nose crinkles in annoyance, or maybe distaste—Ben can’t tell. Either way, it’s cute. “Turn left here.”

He twists the steering wheel around and continues down the road. “Is it a bad thing that I don’t get involved at school?”

“It’s not a _bad_ thing,” she says. “I get that you’ve got this whole broody, nerdy, artist thing going on.”

“But?”

“ _But_ I don’t think you do yourself any favors,” she finishes. “And I don’t think you’ll make any friends the way you’re going.”

He scoffs loudly. “I don’t want to make any friends. I don’t like being around people.”

“Okay, _edge-lord_ ,” she says, shaking her head. “Pull up here.”

He brings the car to a stop outside a dainty looking house, and Rey jumps out quickly, heading over to a large tree situated in the middle of the front garden. Ben gets out the car himself, jogging to catch up with her, and when he reaches her, she lets out a loud curse. Looking up, Ben can see the orange ball of fluff among the green leaves.

“How the hell are we going to get him down from there?”

“We’ll need to get a ladder.”

“I don’t want to leave him again in case he makes a break for it,” she sighs. “I’ll text Poe and get him to bring one, but we need to stay here with BB-8.”

Great. This really isn’t how he thought his Sunday would turn out.

Rey fires off a quick text to Poe, and then shoves her phone back into her pocket. She sighs, looking up at him with her hands on her hips. She does a double take. “Hey, you’re pretty tall.”

He doesn’t like where she’s going with this. “Yeah?”

“Put me on your shoulders.”

 

***

 

That’s how Poe and Finn find them ten minutes later; Rey perched on Ben’s shoulders, reaching out to BB-8, who is refusing to climb into her arms. Ben is gripping her thighs with his hands, making sure she doesn’t fall backwards and break her neck.

How is this his life?

“I’ve nearly got him,” she says through gritted teeth, stretching her arms as far as humanly possible.

Poe and Finn watch bemusedly from the sidelines. “You could just use this nice ladder we worked so hard to get," says Poe, eyebrow raised.

She huffs out a breath, gripping her hand in Ben’s hair. He shivers. That feels nice. “It’s the principle. I’m not letting this damn cat make a fool out of me.”

Poe smirks. “Honey, you don’t need the cat to do that.” Finn snickers from beside him.

Rey sighs in defeat. “Fine, Ben put me down.”

He sets her down on the grass, and she wobbles slightly. Poe stands the ladder up against the tree and climbs up. When he reaches the top, BB-8 jumps willingly into his open arms, and Poe gathers him up, climbing down the ladder and holding him protectively against his chest. “Hey buddy, let’s get you home.”

“Traitor,” Rey hisses, crouching down so she’s eye level with the cat. “Why do you mock me? Why do you like Poe better?”

“Because I’m the better sibling,” Poe concludes, grinning widely. He turns his attention to Ben. “You’re pretty strong,” he says. “And tall. Ever think about joining the basketball team? Or the football team?”

“No.”

Poe shrugs his shoulders, unaffected by Ben’s blunt reply. “Well, the offers always there.”

“Solo, are you coming to our party on Friday?” Rey asks him. “Maz is at this conference thing over the weekend.”

Surprised, Ben feels his eyes widen. “Um, no?”

“Why not?”

“Parties aren’t really my scene.”

“Why can’t you make it your scene for one night?”

“I think I’ll pass.”

“We’ll pay for your pizza and booze,” Rey says, pouting adorably. “To thank you for helping us out today.”

“Yeah, c’mon Solo. Live a little,” Poe chuckles.

“I’ve got stuff to do,” Ben says lamely.

Rey frowns. “All you ever do is sketch in your book.” At Ben’s surprised look, Rey rolls her eyes. “Yes, I’ve seen you drawing.”

He feels mildly panicked. She’s watched him sketch? Does that mean she’s seen him sketching her? “I want to be an artist,” he says defensively. “I kinda have to draw.”

“You could take a night off?” Finn suggests, chiming in for the first time. “It’s one night, Solo.”

Ben sighs. He really doesn’t want to spend his Friday night at a party with a bunch of people he has nothing in common with. “Maybe,” he says, although he has no intention of following through. Of course he can’t go to their party—most of the jocks hate him, anyway.

 

***

 

“Have you heard about this party on Friday?”

“Yes.”

Phasma rests her arms on the lunch table, waiting attentively for more information. When he doesn’t give a further comment, she narrows her eyes. “Well, are you going?”

“No?”

“Why? I’m going.”

“How on earth did you get an invite?”

Her brows crease. “I’m dating Paige Tico?” she says. It’s supposed to be a statement, but it sounds more like a question. “The lacrosse captain?” At Ben’s blank expression, she huffs out an irritated breath. “Rose Tico’s sister?”

“I’m gonna stop you there,” Ben says. “I have no idea who any of these people are.”

“They’re popular.”

“So why aren’t you sitting with them?”

Phamsa fidgets in her seat, short blond hair spilling in her face. “Because Hux has been my best friend since we were in diapers and I don’t think his presence would be warmly welcomed.”

She was right. In his sophomore year, Hux had made a few enemies. In a way, he was similar to Ben, but a little less honest and a little more manipulative. He liked to play games with people, constantly scheming, and it had earned him a bad reputation. At least people knew where they stood with Ben; with Hux, not so much. To be honest, Ben didn’t know how much _he_ liked Hux—they were only ‘friends’ for convenience purposes.

“I take it he didn’t get an invite to the party?”

“No, he’s a total loser,” Phasma sniffs. “That’s why I need you to come.”

“Phasma, _I’m_ a total loser,” Ben retorted.

“Paige told me that Rey invited you herself.”

“I helped her find her stupid cat.”

“Yes, and now you’re going to come with me to her stupid party.”

Ben shakes his head. “I can’t, I’m busy.”

“Please, I need an escort,” Phasma says, clasping her hands together in a begging gesture. “You’re an asshole if you let me go alone.”

“I _am_ an asshole,” Ben mutters. “People keep forgetting this.”

“No, you pretend to be an asshole,” Phasma says. “If you don’t come, I’m going to tell everyone about that time you wanted to change your name to Kylo Ren and start up your own dictatorship in the school.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would, _Crylo Ren_ ,” she smirks, and Ben winces at the nickname, making her laugh delightedly. _“Join me, and together we’ll rule the school,”_ Phasma mimics.

“I was _fourteen_.”

“Yes, and now you’re gonna come to the party with me.”

Ben sneers, looking down at his pitiful mac and cheese. Jesus, the school lunches never get any better. “Fine, I’ll be there.”

 

***

 

He’s at the stupid party—squished up against a wall, bodies grinding together around him, and absolutely hating his entire life. The music is too loud, the people are too drunk, and Ben had lost Phasma half an hour ago. He desperately wants to leave, but he’s the designated driver, and he can’t leave Phasma behind on her own—she was absolutely smashed. He clutches the red Solo Cup tighter in his hand, thumping his head back against the wall. His mom had been ecstatic when he told her he was going to his first ever party, and even more so when he admitted that it was Poe’s party. But now, Ben regrets ever leaving his house.

He checks his phone for the time. Only ten o’clock. Five minutes since he last checked. He’s been here for an hour now, but it feels like it’s been an eternity. Bored of standing in the same place, Ben decides to wander into the kitchen, shuffling past hordes of dancing bodies. When he gets there, Poe is doing a keg stand, legs being held up by a couple of other jocks. _Jesus Christ, why am I here with these people?_

When Poe finishes and stands upright again, there’s beer running down his chin, and he stumbles into the kitchen door. “Solo!” he greets drunkenly when he spots Ben. “You came!” In the next second, his face crumples, and he runs to the sink to empty his stomach.

 _Gross_.

Bouncing back almost immediately, Poe wipes the back of his mouth with his hand, grinning widely at him. “We need to get Rey,” he mumbles, throwing an arm around Ben’s shoulder. He tries to duck away, but Poe’s grip tightens. “Rey!” he shouts into the living room, trying to be heard over the loud thud of the music. “REY!”

Ben tries to mumble an excuse to leave, but Poe ignores him and continues looking for his adopted sister. After a minute, Rey pops her head around the door, hair matted to her forehead. She’s clearly been dancing, and she looks _wasted._

“Beeeeeeen,” she slurs, grabbing him into a tight embrace. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Um, thanks?” he says bewilderedly, awkwardly patting her on the back. God, could he be any more lame? He’s so out of his comfort zone.

Finn calls Poe’s name from the patio doors, beckoning him outside, and he runs to get him, leaving Ben and Rey on their own.

She reaches up and strokes his hair, combing it through her fingers. “So fluffy,” she admires. “Your hair is so fluffy.” She covers his face with her hands. “Pretty.”

He laughs loudly, surprising himself. He hardly ever laughs, and he certainly never finds drunk people amusing, but he can’t help find her inebriated murmurs endearing. “I think you’re drunk.”

“I sure am,” Rey says, grinning crookedly at him. She stumbles, and Ben grabs her elbows, steadying her. “I think I need to go to bed,” she moans, clutching her stomach. “I feel sick.”

“Shit,” Ben curses, again reaching out to grab her in case she goes down. “Do you want me to help you?”

She nods her head solemnly, letting Ben escort her up the stairs. It’s not easy, and Ben has to use all his strength to hold her up, but he finally gets to the top of the landing, and she drunkenly mumbles the directions to her bedroom. When Ben reaches the room, it’s the opposite from Poe’s; generally tidy with sparkling fairy lights strung above the bed, books stacked neatly on a bookshelf. Like Poe’s, however, it’s littered with lacrosse trophies and medals.

Before he can say anything, Rey runs into the en-suite, and Ben can hear the attractive echoes of her gagging and retching. Wincing, he puts on his big boy pants and ventures in, holding her hair back from her face and rubbing her back in soothing circles.

A bit of sick lands on his shoe. He squeezes his eyes shut.

_I deserve a goddamn medal for this._

When Rey’s finished puking up her guts, she flops onto her bed and passes out straight away. Feeling bad, Ben picks up the glass on the side of her bedside table, and wanders into her bathroom to fetch her some water. _She’ll need it in the morning._ As soon as he returns to her bedside, placing the glass down quietly, Rey’s eyes shoot open and she grabs his wrist as he turns to leave.

“Hey,” she whispers quietly. “Don’t go.”

Ben crouches down so he’s level with her face. “I have to get Phasma home. I think she’s had a bit too much to drink.”

Rey nods her head understandingly. “Did you have a good night tonight?” she asks hoarsely.

Ben contemplates lying to her, but his facial expression gives it away, and she lets out a small laugh. “No, not really,” he smirks.

“I’m sorry if I ruined your night,” she says. “I wanted you to have a good time for your first party, and instead you spent the night looking after me.”

“Looking after you was the most fun I had all night,” he informs her sincerely.

She gives him a small, private smile. Even after puking on his shoes, he still thinks she’s the most fascinating girl he’s ever met. He leaves her to rest, and wanders downstairs to find Phasma. Before he can get into the living room, DJ, the football teams quarterback steps in front of him, nasty expression on his face. He’s holding a bottle of beer in his hand, and there’s crimson lipstick smeared over his mouth. _What a fucking riot._

“Who invited you, Solo?”

Ben frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s it to you?”

“Losers like you aren’t welcome here,” DJ says. “Get the fuck out.”

“Are you going to fucking make me?”

DJ grabs Ben’s shirt, forcing him up against the wall. “Don’t tempt me, Solo,” he says. “It’s the least you deserve for breaking Plutt’s arm.”

 _Ah. There it is_. “That asshole deserved it,” Ben snarls, shoving the jock hard in the chest until he stumbles backwards.

DJ’s face twists angrily. “You fucking—”

Before DJ can say anything else, Finn jumps in between them, forcefully pushing the quarreling boys apart. “Break it up,” Finn says, looking directly at Ben. But he finds himself unable to tear his eyes away from the other jock, boiling rage bubbling up inside him. He wants to rip him apart. Finn clearly understands, and with perseverance, is finally able to catch Ben’s attention. “Don’t go all Hulk, dude.”

“Get him away from me.”

Finn nods his head, and quietly talks to DJ as Ben takes a few calming breaths. He digs his nails into his palms, desperately trying to find a release for his anger. After a few minutes of heated discussion between Finn and the quarterback, DJ gives him a final glare and then turns away to talk to his teammates. Finn joins him once again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Are you okay?” he asks.

Ben takes a shaky breath, nodding his head slowly. “I will be.”

“You might want to take a few anger management classes,” Finn laughs, although it doesn’t appear to be a malicious sound. He leans back against the wall, watching the drunken stumbles of people around them.

Ben gives him the barest hint of a smile. “I already do.” At Finn’s surprised look, Ben huffs out a breath. “Because I got into that fight with Plutt, the school makes me talk to the guidance counselor once a week.”

After the incident, it became apparent to him that the students at the high school were full of shit. To this day, no one really knows the full story. Ben’s best friend at the time, Kaydel Ko Connix, had been dating Plutt for a month. During the rocky relationship, and after a particularly bad argument, Plutt had sent indecent pictures of Kaydel around the school, and then bragged about it to all his teammates. Kaydel never returned, and Ben hasn’t heard from her since. So yeah, he may have gotten suspended for breaking Plutt’s arm, but it was so, _totally_ worth it. The school had allowed Plutt to graduate, as it was his senior year, but not with the rest of his class. His diploma was sent to the house instead.

“He was an asshole,” says Finn, interrupting Ben’s train of thought. “You did us all a favor.”

“I like to think so.”

The jock grins at him widely, and then gives him a soft punch on the arm. “You’re alright, Solo.”

After Finn wanders off to find Poe, Ben finally spots Phasma, drunkenly sitting on the steps outside the house, head resting on her knees. He sits down beside her.

“Life is shit,” she says.

Ben glances towards her, watching as she sighs dejectedly. “Yeah.”

“My girlfriend and I got into an argument.”

“About what?”

“About Hux.”

Ben grimaces, hoping his face conveys something close to sympathy. He doesn’t know what he could possibly say to make the situation better, so he doesn’t respond at all. The pair sit in a comfortable silence, listening to the music from the house blare in the background. There’s someone being sick in the bushes beside them.

“Are you okay?” Ben finally asks.

“Yeah.”

He nods his head slowly. “Do you want me to take you home?”

“Please.”

 

***

 

Monday morning rolls around again, and Ben has to practically drag himself into school. He’s groggily taking his books out of his locker, caught up in his own thoughts, when he notices a folded-up piece of paper lying on his history textbook. He frowns and grabs it, quickly opening it up. Scrawled messily is a message that reads: _‘Sorry I puked on your shoes :(.’_

Underneath, Rey’s name is written in block letters, and Ben smiles to himself. When he spots what else is written on the paper, his heart nearly stops beating. Much to Ben’s surprise, she’s scribbled her phone number on the corner of the page. He grins, hiding his face in his locker, and carefully presses the note into his history textbook, making sure it doesn’t get crushed.

 

***

 

That night, Ben lies in bed fiddling with his phone. He turns it over in his hand again and again, contemplating whether or not he should text Rey. On one hand, she had given him his number, so did that mean she wanted him to text her? But on the other hand, what if she was busy? Or what if she just gave him her number for practical reasons?

It takes him about half an hour to compose a not-weird text, but finally he settles on just one word: **hey.**

He throws his phone across the bed, not waiting for a reply. Thankfully creating a distraction, his Newfoundland, Chewie, noses open his door, padding wheezily into the room. He shakes his head, slobber flying onto his bed sheets. Ben sighs. “Thanks, Chewie.” The dog grunts in response.

After staring at the wall for a few minutes, Ben can’t take the anticipation anymore and grabs his phone, fumbling to unlock it when he sees that Rey’s already replied.

**Who dis?**

Ben winces, cursing himself for not telling her his name. Suffering from heart palpitations, he types **it’s Ben Solo.**

Terrified that he’s gotten the wrong end of the stick, he follows it up with **you gave me your phone number. In my locker.**

A minute or two later, Rey responds saying **dude! cnt believe I puked on ur shoes!**

He rolls his eyes fondly at the abbreviations. Of course she would talk like that. Feeling more comfortable, he replies with **it’s okay, it happens to the best of us.**

 **Let me make it up to u. Ru busy?** he gets immediately in response.

Ben looks at his watch. It’s eleven P.M.. He’s usually going to sleep by now, but curiosity gets the better of him. He answers her text honestly with a **no.**

**Gr8, pick me up in 10.**

Shit.

He considers texting her back, telling her that he can’t come and get her because he has to get to sleep, but then realizes that saying that would be _totally_ lame. He swears, realizing his internal monologue had taken up four minutes of his time, and springs into action, running into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change out of his pyjamas. He stops in front of the mirror in the hall, checking to see if his hair is sitting okay, and then runs downstairs, grabbing his jacket from the banister and shrugging it on. Bypassing the living room, he tiptoes into the kitchen where he knows his mom’s car keys are, and grabs them from the peg, making sure they don’t clatter as he puts them into his pocket. Just as he’s about to slowly open the front door, a throat clears from behind him.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

He turns around slowly, coming face to face with his father, arms crossed over his chest. Ben grimaces. “I need to borrow mom’s car.”

As if on cue, his mom pops her head around the living room door. “Why do you need my car?”

“I’m picking up a friend.”

“At this time?” his dad asks. Ben nods his head, and Han gives him an incredulous look. “What friend?”

“Just someone from school,” Ben says, distractedly playing with his mom’s car keys.

His mom hums knowingly. “This friend wouldn’t happen to be a certain lacrosse player, would it?”

Ben can feel the heat rising to his cheeks. “Yes, mom, I’m picking up Rey.”

His mom and dad look at each other excitedly, and then turn their attention to him. “Sneaking out to meet a girl!” Leia says enthusiastically, coming over to cradle his cheeks in her hands. “Our little baby, finally growing up to be disobedient.”

His dad nods his head. “Y’know, kid, when we were younger we were quite rebellious ourselves. Always fighting the system,” he says, looking at Leia wistfully. “Remember that time we were thrown in jail for being part of the Resistance?”

“Oh goodness,” his mom laughs delightedly. “Those were the days.”

Great. They’re going to start reminiscing.

His dad looks at him, face serious. “We never thought you had it in you.”

Ben jerks his thumb towards the door. “I’m leaving now.” _Before you keep me here as a hostage and tell me all about the good old days,_ he adds silently. As he’s walking out the door, he can hear his mom’s gleeful laughter.

He gets into the car, and slams his foot down on the gas as hard as he can, peeling out of the driveway and driving away from his crazy parents.

As he gets closer to Rey’s house, he starts to reconsider his life decisions. He’s sweating, breaths coming out in short spurts, and he considers turning around and driving home at least five times. He reminds himself to stay calm. When he pulls up outside the house, Rey is already sitting on the kerb, arms are clutched protectively around her knees to keep herself warm. When he stops the car, she grins and jumps up, opening the door and sliding into the seat.

“Hey,” she says breathlessly. “What took you so long?”

“My mom and dad started talking about the time they were thrown in jail.”

“No shit,” Rey says, eyes going wide. “Rock on.”

Ben laughs. “So,” he drawls, sounding a lot more confident than he actually is. In reality, the bundle of nerves in his stomach is getting worse by the second. “Where are we going?”

“I thought I could treat you to some delicious ice cream,” Rey grins, like a literal ray of sunshine.

They end up at Mos Eisley, the only twenty-four-hour diner in the town. It’s a quaint little place, adorned with large red booths and a checkerboard floor, neon signs hanging on the wall. It’s practically deserted bar a few stragglers, and they settle into a comfy booth, each picking up a menu.

Ben’s nerves have dissipated slightly. Rey’s easygoing demeanor makes him feel more comfortable and he soon realizes that he’s never met anyone quite like her before. She gets excited at absolutely everything, but also makes him feel calmer, and less agitated. He thinks she must just have that kind of effect on people.

After the waitress takes their order—chocolate milkshake for Ben and strawberry for Rey—she clasps her hands together on the table, grinning at him mischievously. “Well, I never thought I’d get Ben Solo to come out and play.”

He scowls halfheartedly. “I never thought I’d be sitting in a diner with a jock, and yet here we are.” Ben averts his attention outside, watching the rain drizzle down the window. He doesn’t want to be accused of looking at her too much. “At half past eleven at night, might I add.”

“I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at once,” she says.

“Now that’s a lie.”

They’re interrupted by the waitress bringing over their milkshakes, setting them down on the table with a cheerful _“enjoy,”_ before leaving them to it.

Rey takes a quick gulp of her drink and then fiddles with the straw. “I am really sorry about the weekend,” she says. “And I’m sorry for dragging you out at this time on a school night.”

“Don’t worry, I got the puke off my shoe.”

She groans, hiding her face in her hands. “I can’t believe that happened.” He laughs at her embarrassment, slurping his milkshake loudly. She uncovers her face and glares at him, but it lacks any real heat. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Immensely.”

They smile at each other for a few seconds, before Rey snaps out of it, clearing her throat. “So, what do you like to do for fun, Solo?”

He shrugs his shoulder. “I don’t know. I usually just draw, or read,” he says. “As we’ve established, I don’t really have a life.”

“Do you ever draw people?” asks Rey, eyes dropping to the table, and she picks at a leftover sticker with her nails.

Ben panics, but then realizes there’s no way she’s ever seen his sketchbook—he guards it with his life. “Sometimes.”

“What do you like to draw?”

“Pretty things,” he responds. _Like you,_ he wants to say, but he can’t work up the nerve. “Anyway,” he says, trying to change the subject. “What does the great lacrosse player Rey get up to at the weekends?”

She laughs. “I work at a garage.” At Ben’s surprised look, she rolls her eyes. “I like to fix cars,” she says, and eyes him suspiciously, like she’s afraid he’s going to judge her. “I want to be an engineer.”

“That’s cool,” he says.

Rey perks up. “Do you think so?” she asks. “A lot of people think it’s weird.”

“If you like it, it’s not weird,” he says seriously.

She takes a sip of her milkshake. “I don’t get why you have no friends,” she says. “I mean, your social skills aren’t impeccable, but they’re not the worst.”

He should probably feel offended, but he really doesn’t. “I have a temper.”

“Oh, I’ve heard,” she smirks, voice low, and Ben feels his heart stutter in his chest. “But for what it’s worth, I know what Plutt did to Kaydel.” He darts his eyes to the side of her, gaze fixed on the gaping hole that’s been torn in the spongy booth seat. “He’s said some derogatory things to me, too,” she says somberly. “Mostly about how girls shouldn’t play sports.” 

Ben frowns. “That’s fucking ridiculous.”

“I _know_ , right?” she laughs humorlessly. “ _As if_ he’s better at sports than me because he’s a boy. I could kick his ass on the field.”

Ben smiles at her. “I’d pay to see that.”

“You _could_ come to one of my games?” she asks hesitantly.

“To watch you beat up Plutt?”

“No,” she laughs, tearing at a napkin. “To watch me play.”

Ben falters. He’s never, in his whole high school life, been to any sports games. He’s never even gotten involved in any extracurricular activities. _Well, unless that time he tried to start up a school dictatorship under the name of Kylo Ren counts_ . “Do you _want_ me to watch you play?”

“Sure,” Rey says, sounding shy for the first time.

“Then I’ll be there.”

He's probably going to regret his decision.

 

***

 

Ben gets all of two hours sleep that night before he’s getting up again for school. They had stayed at the diner until three A.M., talking about anything and everything. He learned that she had been bounced from foster home to foster home, never really finding her place in the world until Maz had taken her in. He learned that Poe had been adopted first, and welcomed her into the family with open arms, becoming the older sibling she always wanted. He learned that she had struggled to make friends at first, but Poe had introduced her to competitive sports, and she had taken to it like a duck takes to water. He learned that she was currently taking self-defense classes, and, as she put it, _could definitely beat him up._ Ben would probably let her.

At lunchtime, Ben sits again under his favorite tree. After the conversation from the night before, he decides to spend more time sketching Rey, trying to remember the lines of her face as she sipped her milkshake, and the dark sprinkling of freckles along her cheeks.

Just before the bell rings, he ambles back inside, heading straight for his locker. When he gets there, he’s surprised to see Poe leaning against the door, clearly waiting for him and talking casually to Finn.

Ben approaches hesitantly, gripping the straps of his backpack tighter. “Hi,” he greets.

“Hey man,” Poe says. “Your mom has asked me to come to yours on Wednesday night to do work for the project.” At Ben’s blank stare, Poe sighs. “I take it she didn’t tell you?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Well, it’s lucky you never have plans,” Poe sings, winking roguishly. Ben doesn’t even have it in him to feel insulted. “She also said Rey could come, but I don’t really know why?”

Finn chokes, and then hides his mouth behind his hand, looking at Ben pointedly. Ben ignores him, trying his best not to groan. His bloody interfering mother. “I think I have an inkling.”

The jock gives him a strange look. “Well, whatever the reason, we’ll be there,” he says, clapping Ben on the back and then turning away.

The two boys bound to their classes, and Ben can hear them laughing energetically even as they round the corner and disappear.

The bell rings, signalling the start of class, and Ben quickly rummages through his locker to get his textbooks. Before he can shove them into his bag, however, someone grabs him by the shoulder, spinning him around and harshly pushes him up against the lockers. The padlock digs into his back painfully, and he tries not to flinch, not wanting to show his attacker any sign of weakness.

DJ has him pinned by the collar, but Ben still towers over him. Behind the quarterback, Ben can see a group of football players gathered, waiting to strike if he makes a wrong move. He stands immobile, but he can feel his temper starting to flare, and he takes deep breaths to calm himself down. He knows what will happen if he tries to fight back; the group of boys will jump in and beat the shit out of him.

“When did you become so chummy with Poe and Finn?” DJ asks, still restraining him against the locker. Ben has to physically stop himself from batting him away like a fly.

“He’s my English partner.”

“Listen here, Solo,” DJ snarls. “Out of English, you don’t look at him, you don’t speak to him, you don’t even think about him. Got it?”

Ben smirks. “Sounds like you’ve got a bit of a crush on Dameron.” He tries to be a grown up, he really does, but the insult spills out of his mouth before he can stop himself. “I’m sorry, I don’t think you’re his type.”

He knows the punch is coming before it even happens, fist colliding with his cheek and snapping his head to the side. Before Ben knows it, his irritation has skyrocketed into fury, and he’s grabbing DJ by his varsity jacket and hurling him to the ground roughly, on him before he has a chance to get up.

He blacks out, anger burning through his mind, wrapping around his body like a vine. It hypnotizes him, forcing his limbs to comply. All he knows is the rhythm of his blows, the frenzy of his attack.

When he comes to, he’s being dragged from DJ by the other football players, and a crowd of people have gathered, peeking out from behind classroom doors to witness the disturbance. Ben’s chest heaves and he has to put effort into breathing normally, sweat beading on his forehead.

Finally getting a good look at DJ, Ben cringes, putting his head into his hands. The boy’s face was a mess, but he was still able to stand up and hobble to the nurse’s office with the help of his friends. Ben swears loudly, disappointed in himself. What is the principal going to say? What is his guidance counselor going to say? They might make him go to extra sessions. They might suspend him, or worse, expel him. He’s beginning to panic. Did his mom see? Did Rey see?

The principal, Snoke, grabs Ben by the back of the collar and drags him up. Doing the walk of shame through the crowd, he can see Rey’s stunned face staring back at him, peeping out from behind her biology classroom door. She looks upset, if not a little frightened. Ben tries to maintain eye contact, but it proves to be too hard, and he bows his head.

His mom is waiting for him at the principal’s office, anger and confusion expressed visibly on her face. “What happened?”

Ben doesn’t reply.

He can’t get the image of Rey’s face out of his head.

 

***

 

“A teacher who witnessed the fight has explained that you didn’t start it,” the principal says. Ben sits in the chair in front of him, head bent towards the ground, and his mother is standing behind him at the bookshelf. He hasn’t said a word since the altercation. “But we cannot let you go undisciplined. This high school is a zero-tolerance zone.”

Ben nods his head in response, fearing the worst. There’s absolutely no one in the school who would side with him over one of the star football players. Well, apart from his mother, that is.

“Detention every Tuesday and Thursday after school, for a month,” Snoke says. “Mr. Windu has said you can help him clean the art supplies.” Ben snaps his head up, shocked that his sentence seems to lenient. “This will also be going on your school record, along with the previous fight you were involved in,” the principal continues sternly. “One more peep from you and you’re out. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Ben and his mom leave the office and walk down the school corridor. The meetings had taken up the rest of the day, and the silence that stretches between him and his mother makes him long for the usual unruliness of the corridor. When they get into his mom’s car, she lets out a long sigh.

“Mom, I’m sorry I—”

She puts her hand out to stop him. “Ben, what you did was totally irresponsible and I’m very disappointed in you.” He feels his face crumple. “But,” she continues, “that horrid boy had it coming.”

“What?” Ben asks, stunned.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she snaps. “I’ve got him for English, and let me tell you _,_ if _anyone_ deserves to get an ass whooping its him.”

“He _is_ an asshole.”

“But no more fights,” his mom says plainly. “I don’t want you getting kicked out of school.”

“I won’t mom, I promise.”

She gives him a skeptical look. “You’re lucky you’re only getting detention. You could have been suspended again.” At Ben’s miserable expression, she sighs, and pulls him in for a hug. “What am I going to do with you?” 

When they get home, and after his dad gives him a secret fist bump, he climbs up the stairs to his room and locks the door, desperate for some peace and quiet. He turns on his phone, and sees that he’s got several texts from Rey. He clicks open the messages and scrolls down.

13:00pm: **Ben wht happened?**

13:10pm: **Ru ok?**

14:12pm: **Pls message me when u get home.**

14:30pm: **Im rly worried.**

15:10pm: **Poe just told me DJ got suspended.**

15:11pm: **He admitted to punching u 1** **st** **.**

15:44pm: **I really hope you’re okay, Ben.**

Before he can change his mind, and before his nerves get the better of him, he presses the green call button.

Rey picks up after the third ring. “Oh, thank god,” she says. “I thought you were bloody dead.”

Ben lets out a small laugh, and then winces as his burst lip opens up again. He has to admit, DJ has a mean right hook. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“For worrying you,” he says into the receiver. “And for beating someone up in front of you.”

He can hear Rey’s sigh on the other end. “Poe’s heard that DJ confessed to everything. Apparently, he tried to lie at first and tell everyone you had started it, but one of the teachers had been in the corridor. She saw the whole thing.”

“I know,” Ben says. “She’s the reason I got detention instead of being suspended again.”

“I don’t know how I would cope without seeing your stupid face around school.”

He grins foolishly, thankful that Rey can’t see him. “I think there’s a compliment in there somewhere.”

“There might be,” she says. “If you stop getting into fights.”

“No promises.”

They stay on the phone for a long time, only hanging up when Ben’s mom calls up to him that his dinner is ready.

Even after sporting a split lip, bloody and bruised knuckles, _and_ nearly getting himself suspended, he’s not felt this happy in a really long time.

 

***

 

He’s sitting with Phasma and Hux at lunch the next day, pushing his food around his plate and ignoring his friends’ idle chitchat, when Rey and Phasma’s girlfriend, Paige, plop their lunch trays down beside them.

“Hey stranger,” Rey grins, bumping her shoulder into his. “We thought we could join you today. That won’t be a problem, will it?” she asks determinedly, her expression daring anyone to challenge her.

Ben glances over to Phasma and Hux, who share similar bewildered expressions. “Um, sure?” Ben says, frowning. The jocks have never even _acknowledged_ them at lunch, let alone sat next to them, and Paige was Phasma’s _girlfriend_ , for fuck sake.

“Great!” Rey says chirpily.

And then the table descends into silence.

Ben twiddles with his thumbs awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact with the group. Phasma is looking at him as if he should be the one to speak up first, but Ben has never felt more uncomfortable in his life.

“So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?” Phasma asks the two lacrosse players, eyes hard. It sounds like its intended for both of them, but the whole group knows it’s directed at Paige.

“Rey suggested it,” Paige replies, and Phasma’s expression turns stormy. “Although I thought it would be nice to come and sit with my _lovely_ girlfriend,” she adds quickly, realizing her first answer perhaps wasn’t the greatest response.

Ben sighs with relief when Phasma’s face morphs into a smile, and Hux pretends to gag from beside them.

“So,” Rey says quietly to him when the group start up their own conversation. “Get into any more fights since we last talked?”

“You’ll be glad to hear that I have not,” Ben says. “But I do have detention after school.”

She takes hold of his hand, and Ben freezes as she sweeps her thumb across his knuckles, trying not to wince when she brushes the grazes.  “Your hand is a mess,” she says softly, still clutching his hand in hers.

“You should see the other guy,” he says flatly. It’s supposed to be a joke, but his delivery is off and the timing is off and he’s just not funny in the slightest.

But she laughs anyway, carefully placing his hand back down on his lap. Before she can respond, Poe and Finn slam their lunch trays down on the table, and slide into the two other seats beside them.

Okay, Ben vaguely understands why Rey and Paige are sitting with them, _but Poe and Finn?_

_Am I in a alternative universe? Have I died and this is hell? Are the jocks here to get their revenge for DJ?_

Ben expects the worst, bracing himself for an onslaught of verbal or physical abuse, but all Poe does is launch a muffin at him. Ben catches it easily, and holds it in his hand, perplexed.

“Your mom said you liked the chocolate ones,” Poe says, digging into his mac and cheese.

Fucking hell. Do Poe and his mother have private meetings to discuss Ben’s whole life? He’s so confused. Hux and Phasma are gawking at the two new additions, but Rey and Paige are chatting animatedly, unaware as to how bizarre the original three are finding the lunch table invasion. Admittedly, he doesn’t _hate_ Poe and Finn, but he doesn’t exactly think they’re friends; especially not friends who eat lunch together. In front of the whole school. Luckily, the other jocks are outside on the bleachers as usual, and aren’t here to witness this.

“Why have you bought me a muffin?” Ben asks.

Poe rolls his eyes. “To thank you, obviously,” he says. “For getting DJ kicked off the team. I’ve been trying to do that for months, and then you come along and get it done in five minutes.”

“You should really consider joining the team,” Finn adds.

Hux scoffs, interrupting them. “No one wants to join the stupid football team,” he snarls. Admittedly, Ben thinks he has a point.

“Hey! What’s wrong with the football team?” Poe asks him, outraged.

“Everything.”

“Dude,” Poe responds. “Don’t hate us cause you ain’t us.”

Finn sighs exasperatedly. “I don’t think that’s why he hates us.”

“It could be!”

The pair descend into furious bickers, and even Hux looks taken aback at the outburst.

“Just ignore them,” Rey says, rolling her eyes. “They do this all the time.” As the group begin to converse again, trying to drown out Poe and Finn’s squabbling, Ben feels Rey’s thigh press solidly against his, and he feels his face burn at the proximity. “So, your mom invited us to dinner tomorrow night,” Rey begins. “Does the offer still stand?”

“I think so,” Ben says. “Poe and I still need to finish the project.”

“I could help you with the poster,” Rey suggests. At Ben’s surprised face, she shrugs her shoulders casually. “It’s no big deal.”

He looks at her, _really_ looks at her, and imagines what it would be like to be Rey’s boyfriend. He imagines holding her hand during school, and going over to her house at the weekend. He imagines spending hours upon hours in her room, making out and sharing secretive glances, and having inside jokes that only they understand. Ben thinks, for the first time, that he can really imagine himself falling in love with this girl.

And that totally freaks him out.

Realizing he’s been staring at her for too long, he mumbles out a stuttered apology, scrambling up and bumping his long legs into the table at the same time. “I just remembered I have to go and meet my mom,” he says, and then turns his attention to Poe. “I’ll see you in class.”

He dashes out of the lunch hall, and doesn’t look back. When he rounds the corner, he runs into the bathroom. Splashing water on his face, he studies himself in the mirror.

What the fuck is wrong with him?

 

***

 

The doorbell rings on Wednesday night, and Ben thinks his heart is going to fall out of his chest. He tries to take calming breaths, but he can hear his dad flinging open the front door and greeting the siblings loudly.

“You must be Rey, the girl Ben won’t shut up about,” Han says from the hall. Ben groans, hitting his head against the dining table. He can hear Rey laughing loudly, which makes him feel slightly more at ease, but he’s never, definitely never, going to forgive his dad.

When they walk into the kitchen, Ben sees that Rey is wearing a Smiths top, and he curses under his breath. He’s never been more in love with someone. Could she be anymore perfect?

His mom breezes into the room, pulling Poe into a bone-crushing hug. “Hello my dear,” she greets. When she lets him go, she turns her attention to Rey. “I’m so happy you’re here. I would love to get to know you better.” Rey smiles shyly, dipping her head. “Why don’t you help me with the dinner while Ben and Poe work on the project?”

Ben feels his eyes widen, not wanting to leave Rey alone with his mom—she could say anything, after all. He doesn’t exactly want all his baby photos to be put on display, which is something his mom would probably do.

“Oh Ben, don’t look at me like that,” his mom laughs lightly. “I won’t embarrass you.” Ben gives her a doubtful look, and she grins mischievously at him. “Much.”

“Well, we’ll be sitting at the dining room table,” Ben says, pulling a chair out and sliding into it. “To make sure you’re not saying anything you shouldn’t be.”

His mom puts her hand on her chest, mock affronted. “I would never.”

 

***

 

“And that’s the reason we’re banned from every public pool in the state!”

The whole table roars with laughter at his dad’s mortifying story. Rey laughs so hard that juice comes out of her nose, Poe can’t breathe properly, and Ben sits sullenly, playing with his food. “It’s not that funny.”

“Oh, it really is.”

“Who wants to hear more funny Ben stories?” his dad asks, proving that he is, indeed, the worst father ever.

“Yes!” Rey and Poe shout simultaneously.

“No!” Ben interrupts. “Dear god, no more.”

His dad looks at him, unimpressed. “You’re no fun.”

Ben rolls his eyes, elbow leaning against the table. “Sorry to be a buzzkill.”

“So,” his mom says, changing the subject. Thank god he can always rely on her. “How are you boys getting on with the project?”

“We’ve made the presentation,” Poe says. “We just need to make the poster now.”

His mom smiles, clasping her hands together. “I’m so proud of you both for working together,” she says delightedly. “I knew you would be a good pair.”

Ben has to admit, as much as he thought being Poe’s partner would be a nightmare, they actually seem to work pretty well together. Ben keeps Poe focused when his mind starts to wander, and Poe is intelligent in his own way, teaching Ben things he never even considered they would need.

When it’s time for the siblings to leave, Rey hovers to chat with his mom, and Poe grabs him by the t-shirt, pulling him to the side. “Are you dating my sister, Solo?” he whispers, frown marring his face.

“Em, no?” Ben says, and then considers it for a moment. “Well, not yet,” he adds truthfully. “I’m working on it.”

 _Better to be honest,_ Ben thinks.

Poe nods his head thoughtfully. “I can see it,” he says, and then his expression turns serious. “But if you _ever_ do anything to hurt my sister, I will beat the _shit_ out of you.” Poe brushes off an invisible speck of dirt from Ben’s shoulder, and pats him on the chest. “Got it, Solo?”

“Loud and clear.”

“Good,” Poe grins, and they start making their way to the front door. “You’ve grown on me,” he says as Rey joins them. “I would hate to kick your ass.”

Ben laughs loudly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You could try,” he says, standing up to his full height. He easily towers over the jock, but Poe doesn’t let that intimidate him.

Rey frowns. “Why are we beating each other up?” she asks. “But just to add, I could definitely take you both on. At the same time.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Ben smirks slowly, staring down at her. Rey’s lips part, her breath hitching, and he watches raptly as her cheeks begin to turn a shade darker. For a moment, it’s as if it’s just them both in the room, his parents and Poe long forgotten, and he leans against the wall, still observing her intently.

A throat clears from behind him. Ben’s head clears and he spins around to see Poe rolling his eyes. “If you’re quite done, we need to get home,” he says. He then turns to face his mom and dad, who have appeared in the doorway and are sharing similar excited glances. “Thanks again for dinner.”

“Yes, thank you,” Rey beams. “It was lovely.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” his mom says, taking Rey’s hand in her own. “I expect you’ll be returning quite soon.” She winks exaggeratedly at Ben, and he presses his lips tightly together, fighting the urge to groan. God, why was he cursed with these parents?

When they finally get into their car, and Ben shuts the front door behind them, his mom and dad round on him. “She’s perfect!” his dad says, clapping Ben on the back. “How did you manage to get a girl like that to like you?”

“About the same way I imagine you got a girl like mom to like _you_.”

His dad grins at him. “Touché.”

“Anyway,” Ben starts, resting the back of his head against the door. “She doesn’t like me like that.”

His mom pulls him into a hug. “Oh honey,” she says, rubbing his back. “I think you’re deluded if you think that.” Ben breaks out of the embrace, wandering into the living room and plopping himself down on one of the plush white couches. His mom follows him in, and sits down beside him. “That girl spent the whole night talking about you and listening to your baby stories,” she says. “She even laughed when your father told her you took a dump in the community pool.”

“If that’s not love, I don’t know what is,” his dad interrupts.

 

***

 

After that, the jocks sitting beside them at lunch becomes an everyday occurrence, and even Hux begins to appreciate the extra company.

“So,” Rey says one day, taking a huge bite out of her sandwich. “Our lacrosse game is on Friday.”

Finn nods his head. “We’ll be there, dude,” he says, stealing a curly fry from her plate. “It’s the big one, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s like a _super_ important game,” she replies. She turns her attention to Ben, giving him a hopeful look. “I know you’ve never been to a game, and I know you don’t like sports, but I was hoping you could be my cheerleader for the night?”

Ben chews his lip thoughtfully. He really does hate sports, but he doesn’t think he could say no to her. Especially when she’s giving him the puppy dog eyes. “Fine,” he sighs eventually, and Poe claps his hands.

But the only reaction he’s interested in seeing is Rey’s, and he watches as her eyes light up, happily going back to her sandwich with a huge smile on her face. The satisfaction Ben gets knowing he’s the one making her smile like that makes his stomach flutter nervously. But it’s not a bad nervous. It feels like the begging of something massive. Ben tries to hide his grin behind his hand, not wanting to give his emotions away in front of a group of people, but he struggles, and Rey kicks his leg softly under the table, smiling at him shyly. His dad always did say Ben’s face was too easy to read. When he was younger, and if he had been naughty, or stolen candy, everyone always knew straight away.

Paige takes Phasma’s hand. “I hope you’ll be there cheering me on,” she says.

“If edge-lord over here can drag his ass out of bed to see this game, then you bet I’ll be there,” Phasma grins. “Even if it _is_ just to see Ben’s reaction to a lacrosse game.”

Poe scoffs. “I can’t believe you’ve never been to a game. Have you been living under a rock?”

“Leave him alone,” Rey says fondly. “It’s not his fault he’s a nerd. Brooding artists don’t go to football games—he has to keep up his image.”

Poe cackles and Ben rolls his eyes.

But he can’t help the warm feeling that spreads through his chest. 

Is this what it feels like to have friends?

 

***

 

Ben drives the group to the school on Friday night. When they get to the bleachers, Poe and Finn drag them to the front row— _the girlfriend section_ , Ben realises when Phasma brandishes a glittering poster that says **TICO #1** in big sparkly letters. Hux laughs when he sees it—the first real laugh Ben’s ever heard from the boy.

When the lacrosse players run onto the pitch, Poe nudges him in the side, and points to number fourteen. “That’s Rey,” he grins. “Make sure you cheer nice and loud, Solo.”

“You don’t want to let your girlfriend down,” Finn points out.

Ben sighs exasperatedly. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Yet,” Hux scoffs, grabbing a bag of Doritos.

 

***

 

“Oh my god, did you see me?!” Rey shouts, running over to them after she’s finished hugging all of her teammates and the coach. “Did you see how many goals I scored?”

She jumps into his arms, and he catches her easily, holding her up in the air. She wraps her arms around his neck and he buries his nose into her hair. It should be gross. She _had_ spent an hour and a half running about a field, after all, but he finds that he doesn’t want to let her go. He pulls his head back, grinning at her enthusiasm. “I saw. You were amazing.”

“It was all thanks to my cheerleader,” she says, shimmying down his body until her feet are planted firmly on the ground. “Thank you for coming.”

Poe ambles over to them, punching Rey on the arm. “Bro! You were totally awesome!”

“Thanks, man,” she says. She won’t look away from Ben, though, which makes him simultaneously want to kiss her senseless and go home to hide under the covers where he can never see her again. Ben forgets how to tear his eyes away.

The spell is finally broken when Phasma approaches them to offer Rey her congratulations. “Finn told us about the party at his tonight,” she says. “Are you guys coming?”

He hesitates.

“We’ll catch up with you guys,” Rey says, answering for him. “Ben’s gonna buy me some ice cream first.” He rears back, surprised, and Rey winks at him.

Phasma nods. “Okay, we’ll see you guys there, then.” She runs over to their friends, and Ben watches as she clearly repeats their conversation. The group simultaneously swivel their heads round to face Ben and Rey, all visibly amused. Finn gives him a thumbs up. 

_God, could they be any more obvious?_

“Come on,” Rey says, dragging him in the direction of the school. “We need to go before anyone sees us.”

 

***

 

They don’t end up going for ice cream. They end up in the art room (against all of Ben’s protests), and Rey jumps up on one of the tables, swinging her legs back and forth. “Okay, I have a confession to make.”

Ben’s knees go shaky. Has she realized how he feels and is trying to let him down gently? “What?”

“Yesterday at lunch your sketchbook fell out of your bag.” _Oh no, no, no._ “I picked it up, and I _was_ going to look in it, but I realized you probably wouldn’t want me to.”

He sighs with relief, and she rummages through her backpack, fishing out his most prized possession. How on earth did he _not_ notice that?

She reaches out to give him it back, but before he can grab it, she snatches it away again. “I didn’t want to look in it without your permission,” she says. “But I really want to see what you can do—”

“You really don’t,” Ben interrupts. “I’m not any good.”

Rey smiles coyly. “I don’t believe that for a second,” she says, running her hand over the front of his sketchbook appreciatively. He doesn’t like where this is going. “Can I please have a look?” Ben freezes. She wiggles around in her lacrosse jersey to get her pads off, at least looking ridiculous enough to make him feel at ease. “I mean, I think it’s only fair,” she continues. “You get to watch me play lacrosse, but I don’t get to see your interests.”

He panics. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s private.”

“Do you not trust me?”

 _It’s not you I’m worried about._ “Of course I do.”

“Do you not think your drawings are good?”

Ben smirks at her, leaning casually against a table. “Oh, I _know_ they’re good.”

“Then show me,” she smiles sweetly, jumping off the table and slowly approaching him until she’s standing under his chin.

He groans, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. “I hate you so much,” he tells her. “Fine, look.”

She eagerly flicks open the book, taking her time to admire every page. The first fifteen or so pages are _fine,_ littered with drawings of angels and demons and mythical creatures that he conjures up in his mind. “Ben, these are really amazing,” she says, awe clearly present in her voice.

She keeps flipping the pages.

Ben begins to freak out when she gets to the pages he doesn’t want her to see. He bites at a loose nail, trying to avoid eye contact with her. He can hear her sharp intake of breath, and he squeezes his eyes tightly shut, knowing exactly what drawings she’s just stumbled across. “Rey, I can explain—”  

“Oh my god,” she flips through page upon page, face slack with amazement and surprise. He braces himself for the worst. “Is this me?” she asks.

He nods his head reluctantly. “I’m really sorry.”

“What for?” asks Rey, head snapping up. She traces the sketches with her fingertips, smile present on her face. “You’ve drawn me so beautifully. Is this really how you see me?”

“That’s just what you look like,” he shrugs, trying to be nonchalant, but failing miserably. He really wishes the ground would just swallow him whole.

“These are amazing,” she says, and continues skimming through the pages. “There’s so many of them.” She keeps flicking. And flicking. And flicking. “Oh, you draw me a lot, don’t you?”

He really wants to die. He clears his throat. “Yes.”

She continues to browse through more pages. A frown forms on her face, and then it morphs into understanding. “These are all of me, aren’t they?”

Ben’s never been more embarrassed in his life. And that includes when his dad told the community pool story. “Yes,” he repeats, trying to cover his face with his hair.

“Why do you draw me?” she asks hoarsely.

He goes pale. “I— I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I _do_ know,” he says, firmly.

“Do tell then, Solo?”

Aw crap, he’s totally read this all wrong, hasn’t he? He closes his eyes, basking in his stupidity. Of course she doesn’t fucking like him. Why would she? He’s a total loser, and she’s so out of his league. She obviously just wanted to be his friend.

“Ben?” questions Rey softly, placing her hand on his arm.

“Okay, I do know why I draw you all the time,” he says. Well, he’s already made a fool out of himself, he may as well take it all the way. “I like you.” He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I really fucking like you,” he continues. “You’re probably the only girl I’ve ever liked in my whole life, and I’m so fucking sorry because I know you don’t like me back and I sound like a creep right now and—”

Rey lurches forward and flings her arms around Ben’s neck, ending his tirade with perhaps the clumsiest, most incredible kiss in all of history.

Their heads knock together.

“Oh my god, ouch,” Rey yelps, and Ben rubs the injury with his hand. “I’m so sorry, that was not smooth.”

Ben laughs breathlessly, arms snaking around her waist. He pulls her back in firmly, slotting their lips together once more. It’s gentler this time, more slow and sensual, and Ben needs more, needs to be closer. It’s possibly the best moment of his entire life.

“Oh,” she says when they pull apart to breathe. _“Oh.”_

“Yeah,” Ben pants.

She rests her head against his chest. “You’re so tall,” she says, voice muffled in his t-shirt. “I can’t believe we could have been doing this the whole time.” Rey pushes herself backwards so she can look up at him. “I’ve liked you since you ran me down in the corridor.”

“I’m an idiot.”

“Yes, you are,” she grins. “Shall we go and crash this party that’s being held in my honor?”

He smirks.

Best. Year. Ever.

 

***

 

“Have you got all your notes?”

“Yes.”

“Did you remember the poster?”

“Yes.”

“Is Poe already there?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, okay,” Rey grins. “I’m just making sure my boyfriend aces his presentation.”

Ben rolls his eyes, slamming his locker door shut. “My mom’s the English teacher,” he says. “As if she’s going to fail me.”

Rey reaches up to kiss him on the neck, laughing when it makes him shudder. “Hurry up then, or you’ll be late.”

He grabs her hand, and they make their way to the English classroom where Poe is waiting for them outside the door. “Took you long enough,” he says, arms crossed exasperatedly over his chest.

“Sorry,” Ben says. “It’s not my fault your sister is a menace.” He gives her a quick kiss, and Poe sticks his finger in his mouth, pretending like he’s going to throw up.

Poe opens the door to the classroom, walking in first. Just before Ben can follow, Rey pinches his ass, making him jump a foot in the air. He turns around to face her, and she’s smirks mischievously. She gives him one last wink and then skips down the corridor to get to her own class.

And if Ben spends the whole presentation distracted? Well, they only lose ten percent.

**Author's Note:**

> Points to anyone who noticed the fanfic is named after a Midsummer Night's Dream quote ;)
> 
> Also, come follow my tumblr!! It’s called: bakubitchht  
> And it’s where I’ll be posting any fix updates, etc. So feel free to come and chat/message me about any prompts etc! (Although I follow back on Allisonargent-lives)


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